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Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon
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www.plso.orgYour professional community recently voted
you “Surveyor of the Year.” What is your
proudest moment as a surveyor?
Probably this moment of being named Surveyor
of the Year and being able to help others out
throughout my career. I love to see others succeed.
Being able to be a small part of that is very rewarding.
The overall adventures of my career have been
amazing and the opportunities outstanding. I just
had to never say no and see where the opportunities
or adventures led me. I can drive around the state,
even other states, pointing out past project sites and
have a moment of reflection about the project and
who I worked with. There is so much variety to my
surveying career, projects, locations and people that
have made it so fun. Looking back on my career, I am
very glad that it all happened and I would not change
a thing.
How has being a member of PLSO impacted
your life and/or career?
I have had a chance to be around, learn from, work
with and become friends with some very talented
professionals because of PLSO. I have also had
the opportunity to talk to others about our great
profession that many of us fell into and love.
Any advice for those just starting out
their career?
Keep learning, get involved and make connections.
We always need to be learning to grow our skills.
Getting involved is very rewarding and a great way
to meet others. You never know when a connection
will pay off. Be willing to refer work to others when
they might fit the situation better. Do good things and
good things will come back around in return.
You have been so active in getting students
involved in surveying. What do you think is
the most important thing we can do to create
more surveyors?
I have been blessed with opportunities to get into
high schools and talk to kids. That is great and I
have enjoyed the opportunities to tell kids about
Surveying. I also look back to my high school days and
that I really did not know much about college or the
opportunities out there. So, if I can help just a few kids
learn about the opportunities, then it is all worth it.
As noted, I have been very blessed with high school
opportunities, but I believe the current key to
Surveying is getting the Survey Techs involved and
helping them become a PLS. To me, we have too
many Survey Techs that for some reason are not
involved or moving toward a PLS. That needs to
change so we need to make connections with these
folks and figure out the issues. They are next in line
for leadership and we need to make sure they are
moving towards it.
Interview with Tony Brooks